Hi Rachel, I am afraid I can be of little help to you. These regulations are very confusing. I suspect that even the agents who inspect the shipments do not fully understand them. Your problems may stem from an over-zealous inspector. It is my understanding, little that it is, that a written permit is not needed for garden seed. Treated seed (which I take to be pelleted or sprayed) also does not need a written permit but does require a document regarding kind of treatment. Have you contacted Hudson Seeds? jhudsonseeds.org He is current on all of this and has been active in organizing a campaign to change the regulations. I sure hope you work this out. I shall be crushed if I cannot get my SA seed. Your are a great supplier. Lynn Makela ----- Original Message ----- From: Rachel Saunders<mailto:silverhill@yebo.co.za> To: Pacific Bulb Society<mailto:pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Saturday, September 17, 2005 12:01 PM Subject: [pbs] problems with sending seeds to the USA Dear All, I need some information please if someone can help. For the last 3 or 4 years, we have been sending seed into the USA using a fairly simple system. We wait until we have 10 US orders, then get 1 phytosanitary certificate covering all species in the orders, and send the orders in 1 large box with the 1 phyto to my brother in Chicago. When the box arrives, he posts the orders for me. This has worked extremely well until recently. In the last 4 months, 2 boxes have disappeared. They have never re-appeared. So this time I decided to contact the USDA and ask if they had it. They told me that they did not. Then, by some very strange coincidence, 2 days later my brother was notified that they did in fact have the box, and they were sending it back to me. The reason for this is: "You cannot include items that require treatment as a form of entry with items that do not require treatment. Also phyto must include the variety of sp. "Aloe sp." is not sufficient". On the phyto we have always put Lachenalia species, Moraea species, etc instead of listing every single species (which is tedious!) and until now this has been acceptable. I can obviously get round this problem - I will have to list every species which is tedious but possible. And the 2nd problem is the treatment of seeds. Is there a list that the USDA issues telling one which seeds need treatment and which do not? I am now in a state as the whole system seems to have fallen apart and I am not sure what to do. Has anyone heard that the regulations have changed? What is the position about import permits? Do you all have to have import permits for seeds, or can you import small quantities without permits? I remember reading a while ago that the requirement for phytosanitary certificates for hobbyists may be disappearing. I assume that this has not happened? I am now sitting here with 15 orders waiting to be sent to the USA, and I don't know how to send them or what to do with them! Does this mean the end of seed for you all??!! Regards Rachel Saunders Silverhill Seeds Tel +27 21 762 4245 Fax +27 21 797 6609 PO Box 53108, Kenilworth, 7745 South Africa _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org<mailto:pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php<http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php>